California Democratic Party Disabilities Caucus

11/08/2021

The Department of Transportation estimates that airlines damage or destroy 29 mobility devices a day.

"Mobility devices are an extension of our bodies. When they are damaged or destroyed, we become re-disabled," Engracia Figueroa said in July.

06/20/2021

Inclusion is not a favor that adults do for disabled kids, but both an ethical obligation and a legal right owed to all children.

There are two lessons in the viral story of girl with Down Syndrome being left out of a Utah cheerleading team's yearbook photo, writes David Perry: adults need to be more aware of the harm they do when they exclude disabled children and school officials need to consider the deeper failures of inclu...

05/18/2021

We all need to internalize this lesson. Thanks to Disabilities Caucus Chair Hene Kelly for this reminder.

05/18/2021

DID YOU KNOW?
"Autism Spectrum is not linear - with a graphic of a line that is colored in blocks of rainbow color, with one end being "less autistic" and the other end being "very autistic"; text reads, "the autism spectrum looks more like" with a visual of a circle with various splices, colored. on the side, with accompanying color blocks it reads " social skills, fixations, routines, social skills, sensory issues, stimming, executive functions, other"
at the bottom of the graphic reads, "terms like "high functioning" and "low functioning" are harmful and not used anymore"
This graphic is by AutismSketches

05/04/2021

The weight of living in a world that doesn’t consider disabled people’s needs is piling on. Something has to change.

04/28/2021

Between April 5 and April 28, 1977, hundreds of disabled and handicapped activists organized, protested, and occupied government buildings around the country to pressure the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Joseph Califano, to enact Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and....

04/28/2021

Livestream President Joe Biden’s first Joint Address to Congress on April 28, 2021. Because this is his first speech as President to a Joint Session of Congress, it is not called the State of the Union.

04/27/2021

We loved seeing the Crip Camp team on the Oscars red carpet last night. And, for the first time ever, a ramp to the stage.

“While our film didn’t win Best Documentary Feature, we are proud of the momentum that Crip Camp has created for a push towards disability inclusion. From tonight’s historic accessible stage to the broadcast’s innovative captioning, it’s clear disability inclusion is here to stay.” - Crip Camp Film

04/15/2021

For years the Caucuses have been provided with ASL interpreters, on request, as part of the CDP providing accommodations. CDP meetings during Convention must be open to all and it was considered both a required accommodation and an undue burden on Caucuses. As of the upcoming Convention, that is no longer true. Apparently deaf/Deaf and hard of hearing Delegates and Observer's are back to second class citizenship unless the Caucuses paid for technical support (I am told averaging about $1,000). Not surprisingly, few have nor were they apprised that this was true. Note: the CDP Disabilities Caucus will have an ASL Interpreter and CART.

03/10/2021

Even if Stanford has a legal right to deny a homework scribe, that doesn’t mean it should—especially as an academic powerhouse with a $28 billion endowment and a professed commitment to diversity.

The university’s denial of homework accommodations for Antonio Milane has launched a larger conversation about disability rights.